The present invention relates to an image recording apparatus for recording a color image on a photosensitive recording medium using mask members. More specifically, the invention relates to such apparatus in which a photosensitive pressure sensitive recording medium is exposed to light through a selected one of the mask members for forming a latent image on the medium, and a developer medium is superposed with the photosensitive medium for pressure development to produce a color visible image on the developer medium.
Conventionally, red, green and blue mask members are produced based on an imaging information so as to selectively allow particular light to pass therethrough. Each of the mask members is produced in, for example, a laser beam printer. The mask member is of a light shieldable monochromatic image indicative of particular color of the imaging information. Three mask members are successively placed on an identical area of the photosensitive recording medium for performing exposures at three times for obtaining a latent image thereon. The photosensitive pressure sensitive recording medium includes a base film formed of a polyester and immense numbers of photosensitive microcapsules coated on the base film, the microcapsules encapsulating therein materials reactable with red, green and blue lights. The developer medium includes a base substrate formed of a plain paper and developer materials coated thereover. Upon light exposure, physical property of the microcapsules is changed, for example, the light exposed microcapsules may be mechanically hardened, whereas unexposed microcapsules may be rupturable upon pressure to release the encapsulated materials for the reaction with the developer material coated on the developer medium. In this connection a related art is described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,884,082 and 4,949,185.
In a conventional image recording apparatus, provided are the laser beam printer for producing the mask members which are successively introduced into the color image forming device. Therefore, automatic feeding of the mask members from the laser beam printer to the color image forming device is carried out. Further, in the conventional image recording apparatus, a manual mask insertion tray is provided. If another mask members have been prepared, the thus prepared mask members are manually inserted into the color image forming device.
With such conventional arrangement, copying numbers are set. The setting of the copying numbers is required for obtaining a desired plurality of numbers of identical output copying images. However, since the two routes are provided with respect to feed of the mask members to the color image forming device, i.e., feeding from the laser beam printer and from the manual insertion tray, the setting of the copying number may accompany difficulty or trouble.